Vegetation Cutter

ABSTRACT

A vegetation cutter ( 1 ) intended to mechanically separate vegetation ( 4 ), such as control of e.g. control weeds ( 2 ) and/or other undesired crops or vegetation from desired crops or vegetation ( 19 ) on a land surface ( 3 ). Said vegetation cutter ( 1 ) is movable during use in a direction ( 6 ) through the vegetation ( 4 ) at the same time as it comprises a number of knife devices ( 5 ) arranged in a distance ( 7 ) from each other, each knife device ( 5 ) having at least one cutting function ( 22 ) working in or towards said distance ( 7 ), the stems ( 8 ) of said vegetation ( 4 ) in cross section have various thickness ( 9 ) or diameters, such as coarser thickness ( 10 ), mainly constituting the weed ( 2 ) and/or the undesired crops, said vegetation ( 4 ) also having narrower thickness or diameters ( 11 ) mainly constituting desired crops or vegetation ( 19 ) and said distance ( 7 ) on at least some place being shorter than the coarser thickness ( 10 ) or the diameters at least at that place, where the cutting function ( 22 ) works, so that the cutting function ( 22 ), when it is moved through the vegetation ( 4 ), cuts off or damages the coarser thickness ( 10 ), so that they fade, while the narrower thickness ( 11 ) mainly can pass the cutting function ( 22 ) without being damaged, so that they remain undamaged and can grow on further.

The present invention refers to a vegetation cutter intended tomechanically separate vegetation, such as control of e.g. weeds and/orother undesired crops/vegetation from desired crops/vegetation on a landsurface, said vegetation cutter comprises a number of knife devicesarranged in a distance from each other, each of which has its owncutting function, whereupon the vegetation stems present coarserthickness, which consist of weeds and undesired crops/vegetation, saidvegetation also has stems with smaller thickness, which consist ofdesired crops/vegetation and said distance is smaller than the coarserthickness, so that the cutting function passes through the vegetation,whereupon the weed and the undesired crops/vegetation are cut off by aidof the cutting function or being damaged and over a period of time arefading, while the desired crops/vegetation is passing the cuttingfunction without being damaged and remains to grow on further.

On the market today structures of this kind comprise differentmechanical tools in order to control weeds and other undesired crops.These consist of hand tools of the type hoes and cutting tools, whereyou manually identifies weeds and undesired crops/vegetation, whichthereafter is eliminated by the hand tool in the way that the weed/theundesirable crops is pulled up from the land surface or is cut off,which is much time wasting and laborious to do and moreover is notpossible to do mechanically. Such a hand tool is shown in the patentspecification U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,527, which comprises an U-formed knifeto embrace the weed with, so that a claw of the tool holds the weed,whereupon it is eliminated by folding the tool backwards. Formechanically eliminating weeds or undesired crops located over largerland surfaces of arable land mainly chemical pesticides are used today,which burdens the desired crops with poisons, which afterwards istransferred to and damages vegetation, people and animals. Today thereare no other effective control methods, which mechanically andeffectively eliminate weeds and other undesired crops/vegetation on alarger arable land area.

One object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacksmentioned above, by that the vegetation cutter according to theinvention comprises a number of knife devices arranged in a distancefrom each other and having a cutting function, which acts on the coarserthickness of the vegetation, such as weeds and other undesired crops andnot on the smaller thickness of the vegetation, such as desired corps.Thus, said distance is smaller than the coarser thickness, so that thedesired crops/vegetation passes through the cutting function at the sametime as the weed or the undesired crops/vegetation is cut off or becomesdamaged and which over a period of time is fading.

Thanks to the invention a vegetation cutter has now been obtained formechanical control of weeds or other undesired crops, by treating thevegetation containing desired and undesired crops on a land surface byaid of said vegetation cutter. When using the vegetation cutter the sameis moved in one direction through the vegetation. According to theinvention the vegetation cutter has a number of knife devices arrangedin a distance from each other. Each knife device has a cutting functionthat works towards/in said distance. The vegetation stems have insection different thickness/diameters such as coarser thickness, whichmainly is constituting the weed or the undesired crops/vegetation. Thenarrower thickness are constituting the desired crops/vegetation. Thedistance between the knife devices is smaller than the coarser thicknessat the cutting function, when it passes through the vegetation, so thatthe cutting function cuts off or damages the weed or the undesiredcrops/vegetation, while the desired crops mainly passes throughundamaged and remains thereby to grow on further. In a preferableembodiment example of the invention the knife device is formed as a longand narrow thin body having elongated sides, which extend mainly inparallel with the moving direction. When moving through the vegetation,the long and narrow bodies extend mainly in parallel with the landsurface, with a possible discrepancy on approximately +−30° in relationto the land surface's extension. Said body then is provided with anarrower part in its front end, pointing mainly in the moving direction,so that the movement through the vegetation is facilitated, since aspace between the front ends is larger than the distance, counted acrossthe moving direction. According to the invention the knife device can bepermanently or adjustable fixed to one or more fixing places. These arein turn permanently or movably provided in a part of a supportingstructure, which is adjustable in highs and that has wheels providedagainst the land surface. The supporting structure can be fixed to avehicle, as a tractor or other agriculture machine, so that the weed orthe undesired crops/vegetation effectively and mechanically can becontrolled with small numbers workers on a bigger land surface as on acultivated arable land. The knife devices have detachable and adjustablyfixed knife blades having a cutting function, so that the same whentransported through the vegetation cuts off or damages the weed/theundesired crops/vegetation in a predetermined and adjustable cuttingangle in relation to the moving direction. In the preferred embodimentexample the fixing locations are provided via braces in the structure,so that one end of the braces is provided in the carrying structure andits other end constitutes the fixing locations. The braces then extendmainly in a vertical direction, so that these are adjustable in highs inrelation to the land surface and are turnable around their own axis. Theelongated sides are then provided near each other in an increasednumber, so that they form a comb like appearance, so that the knifedevices together looks like teeth in a comb and that the distancebetween teeth corresponds to the distance between the knife devices. Inthis embodiment example the knife blade has a knife blade form of thetype “carpet knife/wallpaper knife” but can also be constituted of around rotating disc with at points located projections in its peripheryarea such as saw teeth. The cutting function can also be constituted ofstrings/threads made of steel or plastic, which are stretched in atleast two points or rotary fixed in one of its ends. In the preferredembodiment example the distance and space, the cutting angle and theknife devices' distance from the land surface adjustable via anadjusting equipment of mechanical/electronic/hydraulic type which can bereached by an user. According to the invention the adjustment equipmentcan be controlled by the user via a processor/computer, which can beprogrammed with optimal values adapted to different types' ofvegetation, so that the vegetation cutter can adapt the functionoptimally, electronically and mechanically to control various types' ofweeds or other undesired crops/vegetation in various types' ofvegetations. The greatest advantages with the invention are thus, that avegetation cutter has been provided, which automatically first canmechanically separate weeds/undesired crops/vegetation from thevegetation and then mechanically remove this in a cheap, effective andsimple way with a small number of workers. Moreover, the invention canin a perfect way be used to remove the weed/the undesiredcrops/vegetation on larger land surfaces mechanically by the aid ofpulling/pushing vehicles. This is done completely without pesticides,whereupon the desired crops is not exposed for environment poison.

The invention is described more in detail with help of some preferredembodiment examples during reference to the attached drawings, on which

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle, which is transporting thevegetation cutter over a land surface with vegetation,

FIG. 2 shows a larger view in perspective of a part of a vegetationcutter, which separates vegetation on a land surface and is cutting offor damages the weeds and undesired crops,

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a part of a brace with a knife device fixedin a supporting structure, which is cutting in a weed/an undesiredcrops, seen the movement direction.

A vegetation cutter 1 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and partially also inFIGS. 2 and 3, which is intended to mechanically separate vegetation 4,such as weeds 2 or other undesired crops/vegetation from desired crops19 on a land surface 3. The vegetation cutter 1 is moved in a movingdirection 6 through the vegetation 4. The vegetation cutter 1 comprisesa number of knife devices 5, arranged in a distance 7 from each other.

As can be seen in FIG. 2 and partially in FIG. 3 each knife device 5comprises a cutting function 22. The stems 8 of said vegetation 4 havein section different thickness 9 or diameters, such as coarser thickness10 or diameters, which mainly form the weed 2 and/or the undesiredcrops/vegetation, said vegetation 4 also has smaller thickness 11 ordiameters constituting desired crops 19. Each knife device 5 is formedas a long and narrow body 16 with elongated sides 24. The elongatedsides 24 are provided next to each other in a greater number, more than10 pieces, so that they form a comb-like arrangement 15 according toFIG. 1. The long and narrow body 16 has a narrower part 17 in its frontend 20. A space 18 between the front ends 20 are larger than saiddistance 7. The cutting function 22 is constituted by knife blades 14,which, when moved through the vegetation 4, cut in a predeterminedcutting angle 23 in relation to the moving direction 6.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 the knife devices 5 are arranged at fixingpoints 12 via braces 21, so that one end 26 of the braces 21 is providedin the supporting structure 13 and that its other end 27 constitutesfixing point 12 for the knife devices 5. Here the braces 21 are turnableonly around their own axes 25.

1. A vegetation cutter (1) intended to mechanically separate vegetation(4), such as control of e.g. control weeds (2) and/or other undesiredcrops or vegetation from desired crops or vegetation (19) on a landsurface (3), characterized in that the vegetation cutter (1) during useis movable in a direction (6) through the vegetation (4) at the sametime as it comprises a number of knife devices (5) arranged in adistance (7) from each other, each knife device (5) having at least onecutting function (22) working in or towards said distance (7), the stems(8) of said vegetation (4) in cross section have various thickness (9)or diameters, such as coarser thickness (10), mainly constituting theweed (2) and/or the undesired crops, said vegetation (4) also havingnarrower thickness or diameters (11) mainly constituting desired cropsor vegetation (19) and said distance (7) on at least some place beingshorter than the coarser thickness (10) or the diameters at least atthat place, where the cutting function (22) works, so that the cuttingfunction (22), when it is moved through the vegetation (4), cuts off ordamages the coarser thickness (10), so that they fade, while thenarrower thickness (11) mainly can pass the cutting function (22)without being damaged, so that they remain undamaged and can grow onfurther.
 2. A vegetation cutter (1) according to claim 1, characterizedin that the knife devices (5) is formed as a long and narrow body (16)with elongated sides (24), which extend mainly in parallel to the movingdirection (6), which during the transport through the vegetation (4)extend mainly in parallel to the land surface (3), said long and narrowbody (16) comprising a narrower part (17) in its front end (20) pointingmainly in the moving direction (6) in making the transportation throughthe vegetation (4) easier, since a space (18) between the front ends(20) is larger than the distance (7) counted mainly across the movingdirection (6).
 3. A vegetation cutter (1) according to claim 1,characterized in that the knife device (5) is fixed and/or adjustablearranged to least one fixing point (12), which in turn is fixed ormovable arranged to at least one part of a supporting structure (13). 4.A vegetation cutter (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that thecutting function (22) comprises detachable and/or adjustably fixed knifeblades (14), whereby these during the transportation through thevegetation (4) cut off or damage the weed (2) or the undesired crops (2)or the undesired vegetation in a predetermined and adjustable cuttingangle (23) in relation to the moving direction (6) and mainly inparallel to the land surface (3).
 5. A vegetation cutter (1) accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the fixing points (12) are provided atleast at some place directly in the structure (13) or via braces (21)indirectly in the structure (13), one end (26) of the braces beingarranged in the supporting structure (13) and that their other end (27)constitute the fixing points (12), so that the elongated sides (24) arearranged next to each other in a greater numbers, more than 10 piecesand are forming a comb-like arrangement (15), whereby the knife devices(5) together look like teeth in a comb and that the space between theteeth corresponds mainly the distance (7).
 6. A vegetation cutter (1)according to claim 4, characterized in that the knife blade (14) has aknife blade form of the type “carpet knife/wallpaper knife” or isconstituted of a round rotating disc with the cutting function (22) inits periphery area and that the cutting function (22) is elongatedand/or is constituted of at points located projections, such as e.g. oneor more edges, saw teeth, strings stretched between at least two pointsand/or is rotary fixed in one of its end in the periphery area.
 7. Avegetation cutter (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that thebraces (21) extend mainly in a vertical direction, whereby at least someof these are adjustable in height in relation to the land surface (3)and/or is turnable around its own axis (25).
 8. A vegetation cutter (1)according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting structure(13) to at least some extent is adjustable in height and that it isdirectly and/or indirectly fixed to a vehicle, such as a tractor oranother agriculture machine with or without wheels provided towards theland surface (3), whereby the control of the weed (2) or the undesiredcrops or vegetation can be done mechanically on larger land surfaces (3)or arable lands.
 9. A vegetation cutter (1) according to claim 1,characterized in that at least one of the following from the groupconsisting of the distance (7), the space (18), the cutting angle (23),and the distance of the knife device (5) from the land surface (3), areadjustable, preferably via at least one adjusting equipment ofmechanical/electronic/hydraulic type, which can be reached by an user.10. A vegetation cutter (1) according to claim 9, characterized in thatthe adjusting equipment can be controlled by the user via at least oneprocessor/computer, which can be programmed with optimal values, adaptedto different vegetation (4), whereby the vegetation cutter (1) can beelectronically and/or mechanically adapted to function optimally tocontrol various types of weeds (2) or other undesired crops orvegetation in various types of vegetation (4).